Lebanese and Israeli representatives resumed talks in Rome on Tuesday on implementing a US-brokered agreement aimed at securing the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon. The US State Department described the first day of negotiations as positive and said the talks would continue on Wednesday.

The framework agreement calls for the disarmament of militant groups, including Hezbollah, the deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces to southern Lebanon and the phased withdrawal of Israeli troops. Lebanon is primarily seeking progress on the Israeli withdrawal, although no immediate breakthrough is expected.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said the agreement offered the only way forward. He said Israel was ready to begin implementing two pilot zones in which Hezbollah would be disarmed, Israeli troops would withdraw and the Lebanese Armed Forces would take control.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun instructed his country's delegation to press for the immediate start of Israel's withdrawal from the pilot zones before any further discussions take place. Israel, however, maintains that it will keep its troops in southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains armed.

(Reuters, Lud)

Twenty-six former Meta employees have filed a lawsuit in federal court in California, accusing the company of discrimination during a round of mass layoffs. They allege that Meta used artificial intelligence (AI) software to select employees for redundancy, disproportionately affecting workers with disabilities or those who had taken medical leave.

According to the lawsuit, Meta considered factors including productivity and employees' use of AI tools, measured by AI token usage, when evaluating staff. The plaintiffs argue this disadvantaged workers who were unable to perform at full capacity because of health conditions.

Meta laid off about 10% of its global workforce in May, affecting nearly 8,000 employees, and the layoffs continued in the following months.

The anonymous plaintiffs, who come from six states, including California and New York, allege that Meta violated federal and state laws prohibiting discrimination and retaliation against employees with disabilities, workers on medical leave and pregnant women.

Meta denies the allegations. A company spokesperson said people, not AI, made the layoff decisions.

(Reuters, Lud)

Italy's lower house of parliament on Tuesday rejected a key element of the electoral reform proposed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's party, dealing her a political setback ahead of next year's parliamentary elections.

Lawmakers are debating changes to the electoral system that would introduce full proportional representation while granting a seat bonus to the winning coalition. In a secret ballot, however, they narrowly rejected a proposal by the Brothers of Italy party to reintroduce preferential voting for candidates on party lists. The measure was defeated by 188 votes to 187.

Meloni's coalition partners, the League and Forza Italia, had both indicated they would support the measure. The result therefore suggests that some members of the ruling majority voted against it.

The center-left opposition accuses Meloni of trying to rewrite the electoral rules to benefit her coalition ahead of next year's elections. Following the vote, opposition parties said the prime minister no longer has full control of her parliamentary majority, with some lawmakers calling on her to resign.

(Reuters, Lud)

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was awarded the Legion of Honor, France's highest state honor, by French President Emmanuel Macron for his contribution to European security following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and for strengthening cooperation between London and Paris.

Starmer accepted the award in Paris after attending the latest meeting of the Coalition of the Willing, a group of countries supporting Ukraine that he co-founded with Macron. On Tuesday, he also took part in Bastille Day celebrations, during which members of the British armed forces marched alongside French troops for the first time in more than 20 years.

Presenting the award, Macron thanked Starmer not only for his service as prime minister, but also for his personal leadership, support for Ukraine, contribution to European security and efforts to strengthen Franco-British relations.

Starmer announced on 22 June that he would step down as Labour leader and prime minister after losing the support of a significant number of MPs from his own party. He is expected to leave office on 20 July, when his successor is due to be named.

(Reuters, Lud)

Britain and the European Union signed a treaty on Gibraltar's status in Brussels on Tuesday. Building on last year's political agreement, it is intended to ease the movement of people and goods across the border with Spain, ending years of uncertainty following Brexit.

The treaty was signed by European Commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic, British Minister for Europe Stephen Doughty, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo.

Under the deal, Gibraltar residents will be able to enter Spain using only a residence card, without having their passports stamped. Spanish citizens will need only a national ID card to enter Gibraltar. The agreement is expected to simplify daily border crossings for about 15,000 commuters.

At Gibraltar Airport, passengers will show passports to both Gibraltar and Spanish border officials under a system similar to that used for Eurostar passengers at London's St Pancras Station.

Albares described the treaty as the start of a new chapter in relations between Spain, the United Kingdom, Gibraltar and the EU. Residents of Gibraltar and the neighboring Spanish region hope it will make daily life and cross-border cooperation easier.

(Reuters, Lud)

US President Donald Trump has abandoned his proposal to impose a 20% fee on all cargo transported through the Strait of Hormuz. Instead, he says the United States will pursue trade and investment agreements with Gulf states.

On Monday, Trump proposed requiring ships transiting the strategic waterway to help cover US costs for protecting the route. A day later, following talks with representatives of Middle Eastern countries, he announced that he had changed course.

“Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to ​replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with trade ⁠and ⁠investment deals that the ⁠various ​Gulf States will be making into the United States”, he wrote on the social media platform Truth Social.

He did not specify the partners’ commitments, but he claims that the investments will be “enormous”.

Trump also declared that the Strait of Hormuz would remain open to all international shipping except vessels linked to Iran. He said the United States would impose a complete blockade on ships traveling to or from Iranian ports, as well as on vessels carrying Iranian cargo.

The International Maritime Organization, the United Nations agency responsible for shipping, said on Monday that it opposes imposing fees for passage through international maritime routes.

(Reuters, Lud)

British counterterrorism police announced that the murder of former minister Ann Widdecombe was a targeted attack. However, investigators are still working to determine the motive and the extent to which the act was premeditated.

“It is clear that this was a targeted attack. We are still working to understand the extent of any planning or preparation and the motivation that sits behind that attack”, said Laurence Taylor, head of the British counterterrorism police.

Ann Widdecombe, 78, was found dead last Thursday with serious injuries at her home in southwest England. Police initially arrested a British man on Saturday on suspicion of murder. After counterterrorism officers took over the investigation, he was re-arrested on suspicion of committing, preparing or inciting terrorist acts.

Widdecombe served as a British government minister and member of Parliament before leaving Parliament in 2010. In recent years, she became a prominent figure in Nigel Farage's Reform UK party.

The case has reignited concerns about the safety of British politicians. Over the past decade, two sitting members of Parliament have been murdered in the United Kingdom, fueling fears about rising violence against elected officials and other public figures.

(Reuters, Lud)

The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Tuesday on its way to the International Space Station (ISS).

The crew consists of Russian cosmonauts Pyotr Dubrov and Anna Kikina and NASA astronaut Anil Menon. They are scheduled to spend approximately eight months aboard the ISS as members of Expedition 75.

Soyuz successfully entered orbit about 10 minutes after liftoff. Docking with the International Space Station was scheduled for roughly three hours after launch.

The mission marked the first crewed launch from Baikonur's recently refurbished launch pad for human spaceflight. It was also notable for the joint attendance of the heads of NASA and the Russian space agency Roscosmos.

Roscosmos Director Dmitry Bakanov and NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman watched the launch from Baikonur. Isaacman became the first NASA administrator to visit the cosmodrome since 2018.

Following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, high-level meetings between NASA and Roscosmos officials have become rare despite continued cooperation aboard the International Space Station.

(Reuters, Lud)

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has called for the new military satellite network, valued at approximately €10bn ($11.7bn), to be completed on schedule and within budget. He said Germany cannot afford delays given the current security environment.

The project, known as SATCOMBw4, is designed to provide the Bundeswehr with its own satellite communications network similar to SpaceX's Starlink. The constellation is expected to include around 200 satellites, with the first 40 potentially becoming operational by 2029. Germany's Defense Ministry aims to finalize contracts for the project by the end of 2026.

Pistorius said the satellite network is essential for early warning, reconnaissance, surveillance and secure military communications in space. It is also intended to enable Germany to independently command and control its armed forces worldwide while strengthening the country's ability to meet its NATO commitments.

The project is being led by German aerospace company OHB in cooperation with Rheinmetall and, according to reports, Airbus Defence and Space. However, some analysts have expressed concerns that the consortium's structure could reduce price competition during procurement.

Germany plans to invest a total of €35bn ($40.9bn) in space security by 2030.

(Reuters, lud)